MATTHEW DUNNE-MILES

VIRGIN Trains gives commuters the opportunity to ‘travel like a rock star’ by charting their own train from Scotland to London for a cool starting price of £65,000.

The ‘Red Carpet’ service from the rail company Virgin Trains is fairly extreme measure to avoid arguments over reserved seats or sitting next to chatty mobile phone users, by either booking out an entire private carriage or indeed charting a private train to their preferred destination.

The Caledonian Sleeper'. Picture: Norman McNab

For passengers travelling one way from Glasgow or Edinburgh through to London, the cost of a private carriage starts at a minimum price of £1,900.

If a singular carriage is not quite enough, then a return journey from Scottish Capital to its English counterpart in a chartered train will set you back a minimum of £65,000. Subject to availability.

The number of chartered services travelling across the UK ranges from month to month, but January saw 28 journeys taking place.

Guests paying up to �4680 a head for the privilege of travelling on the Royal Scotsman.

The travel option which includes priority boarding, access to first class lounges and to-seat service is most commonly used by football teams and corporate groups, but has also been deployed by a number of a-list celebrities including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

The Hollywood ‘it’ couple chartered a train from London Euston to Glasgow back in 2011, when filming zombie blockbuster World War Z.

Common additional requests on the service, which may bump up the ticket price, include bespoke dinner menus and onward travel arrangements such as private coaches or limousines.

Virgin Trains claim there “Ain’t no party like a private carriage party.” and booking your own carriage will allow you to have “the freedom to work or play as much as you like, without any interruptions.”

A five-day tour of the Highlands on the luxury Belmond Royal Scotsman service taking in the picturesque village of Plockton, Eilean Donan Castle and Cairngorms National Park - complete with dinner and entertainment in the Observation Car as well as an exclusive distillery tour costs the sizeable sum of £4,680 per passenger.

Winter West Highland Stateman 3 Day Tour

A trip with Statesman Rail is a three-day journey beginning from English stations such as Coventry and Preston, which make its way across the world famous West Highland line.

The journey takes in breathtaking views of Rannoch Moor, Glenfinnan viaduct and Great Glen valley. For the ‘Pullman Class’ treatment, which includes a stay at the Alexandria Hotel or the Glenspean Lodge Hotel, as well as a full Scottish breakfast and a three-course dinner whilst on board, will set the average traveller back £570

Northern Belle

A trip on the Belmond Northern Belle from Edinburgh to the historic Chatsworth House in Derbyshire is a 14-hour round journey on a train invoking the spirit of 1930s travel, including brunch with bellini, dinner with champagne and a full tour of the historic property. The route is currently available in May at a cost of £340 per person.

Caledonian Sleeper

The Caledonian Sleeper is one of the iconic train services in Britain, travelling overnight between London and Inverness with stops in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fort William on the way. A first class sleeper carriage from London to Inverness, complete with breakfast, will set back the luxury commuter £200 one way.

Fort William To Mallaig on The Jacobite

The Jacobite steam train takes an 84-mile round-trip from Fort William to the port of Mallaig. The journey on the locomotive, originally built in 1949, takes in views of Ben Nevis, the Glenfinnan viaduct and the village of Arisaig. A private table for two on the service, running from May to October, costs £119.